Stamp-affixer.



No. 890,330. PATENTBD JUNE 9, 1908.

Z. 'I'. BROWN.

STAMP APFIXER.

APPLIOATION FILED DB0. 21. 1907.

z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

Z. T. BROWN.

STAMP AFFIXER.

APPLICATION ULEB DEG. 21. 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wenn I v ZACHARY, T. BROWN, OF THOMPSON, PENNSYLVANIA.

STAMP-AFFIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application led December 21, 1907. Serial No. 407,516.

To all l'wl/.om 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ZAonARY T. BROWN, citizen of the United States, residing at Thompson, in the county of Susquehanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stam Allixers, of which the following is a speci ication.

Ihis invention is a machine for alixing postage stamps to letters or other mail matter, and more particularly a machine of this kind in which thestamps lare arranged in a band or ribbon and wound on a ydrum from which they are unwound as needed, and moistened, severed and affixed.

'lhe invention has for its object to provide a machine of this kind which is simple in construction and reliable in operation; and a further object is to. provide a register which is operated by the severing and aflxing de- VICO. y

In' the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is an enlarged end view, and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 1`4 of Fig. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings, a suitableframe having side walls 5 and 6, respectively, is provided on which the working parts are supported. The side walls are preferably in skeleton form, as shown, for the sake of lightness. At one end of the frame are bearings for the axle 7 of a horizontally disposed drum 8 the rim of which is divided into two sections 9 and 10, respectively, by means of an annular plate 11. The postage stamps are arranged 1n a band or ribbon 12 and fastened at one end to and wound on the section 9, and a band 13 for a purpose to be hereinafter described is fastened at one end to and wound on the section 10.

On the axle 7 is a pinion 14 which meshes with a spur-gear 15 mounted in suitable bearings on the supporting frame of the machine, and fitted with a handle 16 for turning it. 'lhrou h this caring the drum is rotated to wind t ie ban s 12 and 13 thereon.

In front of the drum are horizontally disposed rollers 17 and 18, respectively, which are arranged one above the other'and extend transversely across the frame. Adjustable bearin boxes 18'* are rovided for the axle of the rol er 17 in order t iat it may set closer to or farther awav from the roller 18.

In front of the rollers 17 and 18 is a moistening roller 19 which is mounted in a trough 2() containing water. The ,trough extends between and is secured to thc side walls 5 and 6 of the frame. In front of the moistening roller is a cross-bar 21.which extends be-l tween the side-walls 5 and 6 and is for a purpose to be hereinafter described. 'lhe moistening roller is in alinement with the section 9 of the drum so that the stamp band T2 may pass thereover, and it does not extend entirely across the frame, its length being Jslightly greater than the width of the stamp band'.

On one'side of the moistening roller, above the trough 2() is secured an elongated tube 22 through which the band 13 passes, the tube being in alinement with the section l() of the drum. In this tube is a hole '23 for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

The rollers 17 and 18 are rotated 'through the following gearing: On the axle of the roller 18 is a pinion 24 which meshes with a spur-gear 25 mounted in suitable bearings on tie frame, and having a handle 26 for turning it. The rollers are set sufficiently close together so that the roller 17 will rotate with the roller 18 when the bands 12 and 13 are therebetween. The moisteniiig roller 19 is also driven by the spur-gear 25 through the following geari On the axle of said roller is a pinion 27 w ich is geared to the pinion 24 by an intermediate pinion 28 so that the moistening roller may turn in the saine direction as the roller 18.

In front of the'moistening roller is a wan 29 having a slot 30 through which the stamp band 12 passes, and .in front of the wall below the slot is a table 31 on which the mail matter to be stamped is placed.

In front of the wall 29 is a stampv severing and aifixing device. Said device comprises` a lever 32 pivoted at 33 to an extension 34 on the side wall 6 of the frame, and having a handle 35.v The lever works close to the wall, and is normally held elevated above the slot 30 by a spring 36 connected at one end to the lever and at the other end to a standard 37 rising from the frame. One side of the lever is enlarged as indicated at 38 to the same dimension as the stamps so that the latter may be pressed down thereby on the mail matter and thus affixed thereto.

Above the tube 22 is a recording device comprising a lever 39 pivoted to the side 5 of the frame and carrying at its free end a punch point 40. The lever is held normally elevated by a spring 41 secured at its ends to the lever and to the side 5, respectively. The hole 23 is so located that when the lever 39 is de ressed the punch 40 enters the same and ma es a hole in the band 13.

The punch is operated as follows: At the free end of the lever 39 is a projection 42 which is in the path'of a projection 43 on the lever' 32 so that when the latter is depressed to sever and affix a stamp, the lever 39 is depressed to punch the bands 13. Said band after it leaves the tube 22 passes over the edge of the trough 20 and downwardly in the open space between the side walls of the frame in front of the table 31, and to its free end is attached a weight 44 `for taking up slack.

' The machine operates as follows: The bands 12- and 13 are fastened at one end t-o the drum and wound thereon by turning the spur-gear 15. The free ends of the bands are then passed between the rollers 17 and 18, and the band 12 is carried under the cross-bar 21, over the moistenin roller 19, and through the slot 30. `The and 13 is passed through the tube 22 and the weight 44 is attached to its free end. To afiixa 'stamp to a letter or other mail matter the rollels 17 and 18 are turned which feeds both bands forward. When the stam) projects far enough from the front end o the slot 30, the lever 32 is depressed which severs the stamp with a shear cut along the line of perforations and a furtherdepression of the lever affixes it to the letter by pressing it thereon. At the same time the punch 40 is operated, as described, to punch a hole in the band 13. The last mentioned band is fed forwardly with the stamp'band and punched every time a stamp is affixed so that an accurate count of the number of stamps used is kept. The cross-bar 21 is slightly below the periphery of that portion of the moistemng roller which is outside the trough 20 so that the band will be held thereagainst. In front of the moistening roller is also a cross-bar 45 under which the stamp band passes and which holds it close to the roller. As the moistening roller also rotates it tends to feed the stamp band forward.

I claim 1. A stamp-afiixer comprising a drum which is divided` into two sections one of which receives a band of stamps, and the other a recording-band, a stamp severing and affixin -device, means for feeding the stamp ban thereto, means for moistening stamps, and a punch operating on the recordin -band and acutated by the severing and a Xing-device.

2. A stamp-aflixer comprising a drum which is divided into two sections one of which receives a band of stamps and the other a recording-band, stam) moistening means, a stam -severing and a `xingdevicc, a pair of fee -rollers receiving said bands therebetween, and a punch o )erating on `the recording-band and actuated by the severing-device.

3. A stamp-affixer comprising a drum which is divided into two sections one of which receives a band of stamps and the other a recording-band, stam) moistening means, a stamp-severing and a -Xing-device, means for feeding the stamp-band thereto, a tube through which the recording-band passes and having a hole, and a punch o )erating on the recording-band through the hole in the tube, land actuated by the severing and afiixing-device.

In testimon whereof I affix my signature, in presence o twowitnesses.

ZACHARY T. BROWN.

Witnesses FRED. W. TEAL, LE GRAND BENSON, 

